Backpacks on Campus

Whether it’s with pins, buttons, or ribbons, backpacks serve as a self-expressing platform for many college students.

By Natalie Guisinger

“I just started collecting them my freshman year because people were just giving them to me. Once people saw I was collecting them, my boss [would] give me pins [and] my professors [would] give me pins. Everyone's really supportive of this project, and there are people who I will meet, and they will be like, ‘Oh! You're the girl with the pin backpack!’”

-Frannie Miller

“One of my pins is [for] the Spectrum Center, so that's a center on campus for students that are gay, bisexual, or transgender. I believe that I am a part of that community, and so it’s very important to me to showcase that.”

-Michaela Minnis, Freshman

“The pins are gifts from random people in my life, like the dog pins are from one of my best friend’s mother, because she doesn't have any daughters.”

-Arwen, Freshman

“[The] Respect the Lecs [pin] was important to be because I have a lot of great relationships with a lot of lecturers here, so me showing my support would show that I appreciate them and that they are welcome here in my eyes”

-Che’Rai Laster, Junior

“I’m in KD and it’s a new chapter on campus. I also just got an interview for the Quito Project, which is [an] opportunity where we tutor kids in Ecuador in English. Hopefully I get to be a part of that because that would be super fun.”